Latch



(No Model.)

A. HETU.

r LATCH. v

No. 362,079. Patented May 3,1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR HETU, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 362,079, dated May 3,1887.

Application tiled August 26, 1886. Serial No. 211,908. (Nomcdcl.)

To all whom, it may concern: l

Be it known that I, ARTHUR HETU, a citizen of th United States, residingat Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Latches, of which thefollowing is a specification,taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming part thereof.

In the drawings, Figure lis a front and Fig. 2 is a side View inelevation of a portion of a door provided with myimproved latch. Fig. 3is a cross-section taken at the line :v m of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, in a sideand two end views, shows one of the operating-buttons, hereinafterdescribed. Fig. 5, in similar views, illustrates one ofthelatch-spindles, hereinafter described. Fig. 6 is a side view of the'twolatch-spindles, showing their relative positions when the parts areassembled. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the set-nut; and Fig. 8 is aperspective view of one of the side plates with its attached hub,

all hereinafter fully described.

My invention relates more particularly to that class of latches known asmortise-latches, and I have illustrated it in connection with such alatch; but it is obvious that certain features thereof are applicable toother styles of latches.

My invention consists of novel means for reciprocating the ordinarylatch-bolt within its seat, said means comprising a spindle adapted atits inner end to be operatively connected with said bolt, and a tubularpush-button centered in a fixed door-knob and embracing the outer end ofsaid spindle, and so connected therewith that lateral movement impartedto the button will rotate the spindle about its axis.

My invention consists, further, in the details of construction by whichthis result is secured, as-hereinafter clearly described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, ingwhich likeletters designate like parts inall of the figures, A indicates a section of a door in a mortise, withinwhich is secured a spring-latch, G, of any ordinary construction. Theselatches, as usually inade, have abolt, F, and a hub formed with a squareopening or socket, through which passes the knobspindle, t-he hub beingso connected with the bolt that when rotated in either direction byturning the knob the bolt is reciprocated to withdraw it from the socketin the door-frame, a spring being em ployed to return the bolt to itsnormal position. I have devised means for securing this rotation of thespindle and latch-hub independently of the knob, thus doing away withthe often troublesome necessity of turning the knob to open the door. Inthe drawings I have shown these means applied to both sides of the door;but as the two sets of means are duplicates and act wholly independenlyot each other, it will be obvious that either may be dispensed with, andthat thus the door can be adaptedl to be opened from kboth sides, asshown, or from either side, as may be desired. These m'eans,in detail,are as follows: Attached to the sides of the door in such a manner astocover the usual orifice leading to the latchy hub are side plates, lz?,said plates being secured to the door by screws passing through holesh", (see Fig. 8.) or in any other suitable manner. These side plateshave formed integrally therewith or attached thereto hubs H H',extending outwardly at a right angle thereto a sufficient distance tosupport the knobs, in the manner hereinafter described.

The side plates, h, are each provided with an orifice concentric with.ythe opening in the door, and also concentric with the bore of the hubs HH', but of less diameter than thelatter.

The hubs H H are peripherally screwthreaded at their outer ends, and areprovided with a longitudinal slot or slots, h', and alug, h2, for apurpose presently to be described.

Mounted within the hubs, and adapted to turn freely therein, are thespindlesK K The said spindles pass through the orifices in the sideplates, and are preferably provided with flanges c, of the diameter ofthe bore of the hubs, as shown, to limit their movement in thatdirection. At their outer ends these spindies are provided with ashoulder, 7c3, and a projecting offset portion, k2, forming a crank,

the ends of the offset portions being adapted to enter the opening inthe latch-hub. Axial rotation of either spindle,'therefore,will effectthe rotation of the latch-hub, and through the latter will cause thebolt F to be reciprocated in its seat in the usual manner. The spindlesare provided at their inner ends with pins or lugs k, for a purposepresently to be described.

IOO

Within the hubs H H are inserted the buttons or plungersE E. Thesebuttons are tubular in form and closed at their outer ends, their outerdiameter being substantially that of the bore of the hubs H H', andtheir interior diameter substantially that 'of the spindles K K', sothat said buttons work freely within the bore of the hubs, and over theends of the spindles. To prevent axial movement of the buttons, any ofthe wellknown means may be used; but I prefer to use that shown in thedrawings, consisting of the slots h in the hubs before mentioned, andthe lugs c upon the periphery of the buttons traveling within saidslots. Near their inner ends these buttons are provided with cam slotse', preferably located at diametrically-opposite points in theirperipheries. I have shown these eamslots as being approximatelytriangularin outline, two sides ot' which are substantially parallelwith the ends and sides of the buttons, and the third side extending atan acute angle thereto. The pins or lugs k on the spindles project intothese cani-slots, and the buttons being prevented from axial movement,as stated, by the lugs e and slots 7L', it follows that by forcingeither of said buttons inward the inclined sides of the slots, byengaging with the pins 7c, will rotate one of the spindles upon itsaxis, and, as before described, will cause the bolt F to be withdrawnfrom engagement with the door-frame.

Springs S are inserted within the buttons, bearing against the ends ofthe spindles, as shown, or may be inserted between the inner ends ofthebuttons and the flanges upon the spindles, their function being torestore Vthe buttons to their normal positions after being forced inwardto withdraw the bolt, as just described.

I have shown the buttons as being provided with two cam-slots and thespindles with two engaging-pins, and I prefer such construction; but itis obvious that one slot and one pin would operate successfully in thesame 1nan ner, and it is also obvious that the outline of the said slotscould be modified without departing from the spirit of my invention. Y

My novel means for operating the latch -bol t, as above described, aredesigned to be used in connection with a door-knob so located withrespect to the button that the knob can be grasped by the hand and thethumb utilized to press upon the button. I consider the constructionshown in the drawings to be the best means for securing this result, thesame being as follows:

y ment about the hubs H H when placed thereon I provide said hubs withthe lugs h2, before mentioned, which enter a recess in the circularopenings in said plates.

D D are set-nuts of a proper size to iit the serew-threadedends of thehubs H H. These nuts have a central bore to receive the outer ends ofthebuttons, and are preferably concaved on their outer faces, as shown, tofacilitate the action of the thumb against the ends ofthe buttons. Thenuts arcalso provided with a flange at their outer ends, said flangeprojecting beyond the adjacent edgeof the bore in the knobsleeve, asshown in Fig. 3, when the parts are assembled, and said nuts may also beprovided with nicks, as shown in Fig. 7, to receive a screw-driver, orother well known means may be provided for manually turning them.

It will be observed from the construction just described that when theside plates, C C', and the knob-sleeves B B' are placed in position uponthe hubs H I-I, and the set-nuts D D' are tightened upon the ends ofsaid hubs, the parts are all rmly secured in place, making a neat andcompact structure.

It will be observed, further, Athat the spindies K K occupy the positionand have the axial movement of the ordinary knobspindle, and that theiroverlapping ends occupy the usual rectangular orifice in the latch-hub.Consequently no change of the ordinary mor tise-latch is required inapplying myinvention thereto, and it need not be removed from the doorfor that purpose. To apply my device to a door containing the usualmortise-latch, therefore, it is necessary merely to remove the old knobsand withdraw the knobspindle and secure my improved mechanism to thedoor, as hereinbefore described.

The advantages of a stationary knob over one which it is necessary toturn in opening the door are many and obvious, and all such advantagesare secured by my invention, in addition to which a simple but effectivemeans for operating the latch-bolt by a slight pressure of the thumb iscombined therewith.

As I have hereinbefore intimated, various modifications of theconstruction shown in the drawings may be made within the scope of myinvention. For instance, it will be observed that by making the slots ein the buttons E E of the outline shown in the drawings, and whollywithin the surface of the periphery of the buttons, the engagement ofthe pins 7c with the bottom of the slots prevents the entire withdrawalof the buttons from the bore of the hubs; but the slots might becontinued to the ends of the -buttons, in which case other means forpreventing the removal. of the buttons could be utilized-such as, forinstance,

inserting a stop in the open end of theslots h in the hubs to contactwith the lugs e on the buttons. It will also be observed that in the ICOlIO

`slots; but I am aware that the slotse might have two parallel inclinedsides, whereby the action of t-he springs S alone would positivelyreturn the spindles K K and the latch-bolt to their normal positions,and I regard such modiiications as coming within the scope of myinvention.

I clairn- 1. In a door-latch, thc combination,with the bolt F,of hub H,spindle K, having the crank It and pin k, button E, having a cam'slotengaging said pin, spring S, and knob B, substantially as shown anddescribed. 4

2. In a door-latch, the combination, with the sliding bolt thereof', ofa spindle arranged at a right angle to and having its inner endoperatively connected with said bolt, a fixed door-knob having a centralbore, a tubular button located within the bore of the knob and embracingthe outer end of said spindle, connecting means between the button andspindle, whereby lateral movement of the -former will impart axialrotation to the latter, and a spring to move the button in onedirection, all arranged and operating substantially inthe manner setforth.

3. In a door-latch, the combination, with bolt F, of the hub H, havingthe slot h,crank` spindle K, having the pin k, button E, having thecanrslot c' and lug e, and knob B, arranged and operating substantiallyin the manner described.

4. In a door-latch, the combination of hub H, spindle K, adapted to haveaxial rotation within said hub, button E, adapted to have suitableconnecting means between said spindle and button, spring S, set-nut D,and knob B, arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

5. In a doorlatch,the combination of plate h3, hub H, having lug h2,knob-rose C, having a recessed circular opening adapted to receive saidhub and lng, knob B, set-nut D, spindle K, button E, and spring S, allarranged and operating substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with latch-bolt F, of hub H, knob B, set-nut D,having a concave face, spindle K, button E, spring S, adapted tonormally project the end of the button within the concavity of theset-nut,and suitable intermediate connecting devices, substantially asset forth.

ARTHUR HETU.

Vi tnesses:

y W. H. CHAPMAN,

PORTER' UNDERWOOD.

35 lengthwise reciprocation within said hub, Y

